He was born in Suwalki, Poland in the family of Polish POW murdered by Soviets in Katyn massacre. Since the truth was not acknowledged until 1989, his mother was waiting for the return of her husband for years.

His first three films were A Generation (1954), Kanal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958). The three films comprise a trilogy about the effects of World War II on Poland, and gained Wajda international acclaim.

Other well-known movies by Andrzej Wajda :

Brzezina The Birch Wood
Krajobraz po bitwie Landscape After the Battle
Wesele The Wedding
Ziemia obiecana The Promised Land
Smuga cienia The Line of Shadow
Czlowiek z marmuru Man of Marble
Bez znieczulenia Rough Treatment
Panny z Wilka The Maids of Wilko
Dyrygent The Orchestra Conductor (1980)
Czlowiek z zelaza Man of Iron (1981)
Danton (1983)
Panna Nikt Miss Nothing (1996)
Pan Tadeusz (1998)
Man of Iron won the prestigious Palme d'Or during 1981 edition of Cannes Film Festival. Three of Wajda's works, namely The Promised Land, The Maids of Wilko and Man of Iron gained Academy Award nominations for the best foreign language film. In 2000 he was awarded the Honorary Award by the A.M.P.A.S..